The blaze at Boardwalk Apartments came on the eve of trial for a Lawrence man charged with opening fire on a group of the complex’s residents after a December noise dispute.

People who lived in the complex at the time of the shooting are expected to be some of the key witnesses against Randy J. Johnson, 20, who’s due to stand trial Tuesday for attempted second-degree murder.

But Dist. Atty. Charles Branson said Friday that as far as he knew, the fire and the upcoming trial were two events “completely unrelated,” and that the building that burned was not the one where the shooting happened.

“I don’t have any reason to link the two together,” Branson said.

Fire investigators said Friday afternoon it would be Sunday at the earliest before the blaze site would cool enough to allow them to begin collecting evidence that might explain the cause of the fire. Witnesses said it seemed the complex was fully engulfed in flames within minutes of the fire starting.

• 6News video: Statement allowed in attempted murder trial (10-07-05)

In a pre-trial hearing that ended Friday, District Court Judge Michael Malone ruled that Johnson’s statement to police could be used at trial. His attorney had argued that the statement should be suppressed because Johnson did not understand his right to remain silent.

Johnson was charged after the Dec. 21 shooting with four counts of attempted murder. Two people suffered injuries, including a 21-year-old Baldwin woman who was hit twice in the leg. He remains in the Douglas County Jail, and his trial is expected to last a week.